Semana Santa (Holy Week) is the only time (except during Manny Pacquiao's fights) that Manila is transformed into a peaceful and traffic-free city. This is because most Manila residents take advantage of the holiday to go home to the provinces or go out of town for a longer vacation time with family and friends. Those who choose to stay in the city, participate in a religious tradition called Visita Iglesia (church visit).
Here are some of the churches around the city of Manila:
Baclaran/Redemptorist Church
- National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help
- completed in 1952
- houses an icon, Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Reclamation Area Church
- Archdiocesan Shrine of Jesus, the Way, the Truth, & the Life
Binondo Church
- Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz
- built in 1596 and enlarged in 1608
- exterior: Mexican-Spanish colonial architecture
- San Lorenzo Ruiz, the Philippines' first saint trained as a sacristan in this church
Sta. Cruz Church
- Our Lady of Pilar Parish
- originally built in 1619; present building completed in 1957
- exterior: Baroque
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Manila Cathedral
- Cathedral - Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
- present building completed in 1958
- exterior: Neo-Romanesque
- dedicated to Saint Mary under the title Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the Philippines.
San Agustin Church
- Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Consolación y Correa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- completed in 1607
- exterior: Baroque
San Beda Church
- Abbey of our Lady of Montserrat
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San Sebastian Church
- Basilica Minore de San Sebastián
- built in 1893
- exterior: Neo-Gothic
- seat of the Parish of San Sebastian and the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
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Quiapo Church
- Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene
- St. John the Baptist Parish
- exterior: Mexican baroque
- home to the Black Nazarene
Ermita Church
- Parish of Nuestra Señora de Guia
- home of the oldest Marian Image in the Philippines, Nuestra Señora de Guia
Malate Church
- Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Remedios
- built in the late 16th century
- exterior: Baroque
- one of the oldest churches in Manila outside of Intramuros
